Automated manufacturing such as that occurring on assembly lines can involve a series of workstations implementing robotic systems to perform various manufacturing tasks. Such tasks can include machining, assembly and testing on products that are moved sequentially from one workstation to the next. In addition to automated processes, manual manufacturing processes can be performed by humans during a product's progress through such an assembly line. Humans working on the assembly line can be segregated from areas in which automated tasks are performed, for example by erecting physical barriers that prevent access to areas in which an occupant could be injured by a robot during its operation.
Assembly lines may not be suitable for performing manufacturing processes on large workpieces such as aircraft fuselages and wings, windmill turbines, large watercraft hulls, missile bodies, tanks and other such large workpieces. Instead, mobile workstations that perform manufacturing processes can be moved to various locations proximate to the portions of the large workpieces on which work is to be performed. However, such mobility can increase the risk of injury to any personnel also in the workspace. Further, operation of any robots or machinery included with such a workstation can pose unacceptable risk to human occupants of the workspace.